Hermione Granger and the Catastrophes of 8th Year
by HermionenotHermoninny
Summary: Hermione, Harry, and Ron are back at Hogwarts for their 8th year. An ugly break up with Ron plus a potions internship makes for a pretty interesting year. HG/RW, but not for long. Eventual HG/SS. HP/DM.
1. The Beginning

_Note: Obviously, I don't own anything._

 _I've been reading a lot of Hermione/Draco, Hermione/Snape, and Hermione/Remus fics lately, and I love all of them. I like anyone but Ron, honestly. He just isn't good enough for her, in my opinion. Anyway, I hope you all like this. I definitely want to continue it, but posting stuff here without any feedback kind of makes me feel like I'm throwing my writing into the void, so reviews would be much appreciated!_

Hermione left the Gryffindor common room, headed down the now-familiar path to the great hall for breakfast. It was a drowsy Friday morning a little more than halfway through the first term of her 8th year at Hogwarts. After the war, Hermione, like Harry, Ron, and many others, had decided to return to Hogwarts to finish her studies and take her NEWTs, even though she and everyone else knew that she could ace them without the extra year of classes. In order to make her last year at school worthwhile, McGonagall decided that Hermione would complete mini-internships with some of the professors in addition to her regular classes; since helping the injured after the final battle had inspired Hermione to want to become a Healer, she would complete internships in charms and potions for half a term each and would apprentice under Madame Pomfrey starting after Christmas. Last week, she had completed her charms internship with glowing remarks from Professor Flitwick, and on Monday, she had begun her potions studies. Initially, she had been nervous about spending so much one-on-one time with Professor Snape, but he was merely intense, rather than cruel, as he was during regular potions classes. Hermione wondered if it had something to do with the fact that she had been the one who had helped Madame Pomfrey tend to his injuries after the final battle. _Or maybe,_ she thought cynically, _it's just because I have yet to make any know-it-all comments or screw up any potions._

Her studies were not the only thing going well, though; even her personal relationships were improving. Parvati and Lavender had opted to open a tea shop together, rather than return to school and complete their exams, so Hermione was now rooming with Ginny. Living together had helped the two girls grow closer than ever, and Hermione was thrilled to finally have a girlfriend who wasn't totally ditzy like Parvati and Lavender. She had also been the first person Harry had come out to when he started dating Draco, and she knew that her unconditional acceptance had strengthened their already close friendship. _Yes,_ Hermione mused, _I suppose the only thing that isn't going well this year is my relationship with Ron. But there's always got to be something._

 _Think of the devil_ , Hermione thought, as Ron and Harry rounded a corner and appeared in front of her. She was just about to speed up and catch up with them, when she heard what Ron was saying.

"...Bloody nightmare of a girlfriend she is, honestly," he said to Harry with a grimace, "She nags and nags- it's like my mother!" He lowered his voice and Hermione strained to hear him, "Plus the fact that she won't even put out after all this time, ya know?" Hermione raised her eyebrows, shocked. She knew the relationship was falling apart, but how could he say such things about her?

"C'mon, mate," Harry said, "You know it isn't supposed to be all about sex." Hermione smiled. At least Harry was standing up for her.

"I know, I know," Ron conceded, "Although, I gotta say, it isn't really about much else right now either. You know how bloody insufferable she can be sometimes." Hermione had had enough.

"Is that really what you think, Ronald? That I'm insufferable?!" she exclaimed as they entered the great hall, her voice much more shrill than she would have liked. The room fell silent and heads turned their way as Ron and Harry spun around to face her. Harry groaned. Ron's eyes widened.

"Oh, come on, 'Mione, I didn't know you were there…" he stammered.

"That makes it worse!" she shrieked.

"'Mione, please stop yelling…" he tried again.

"I won't!" she yelled even louder, "And now you haven't got a girlfriend at all, nightmare or otherwise! Isn't it just lovely how that works?"

"I'm sorry…" he started, closing the gap between them and reaching out his hand.

"Don't you dare touch me, Ronald Weasley!" she snarled, "You stay away from me!" Ron placed his hand on her shoulder, despite her words. Less than half a second later, her stinging hex hit him squarely in the face, knocking him backwards over a breakfast table, much to the shock and horror of a few Ravenclaw first years. Without a word, Hermione crossed the room, ignoring all of the eyes on her, and sat down at her usual place at the Gryffindor table, back straight and head held high.

Seamus and Neville rushed over to Ron, slung his arms over their shoulders, and all but carried him out of the room, presumably to the hospital wing. Harry stood for a moment, glancing between the retreated red-headed figure and the bushy-haired one sitting at the table. He sighed and sat down next to Hermione. It was really Ron's own fault, anyway, and Ron had Neville and Seamus.

"Hermione…" he started.

"I don't want to talk about it," she said stiffly. Draco sauntered over to the Gryffindor table- an act that used to cause quite a commotion, but was now commonplace- and Harry instantly brightened.

"Killer way to end a relationship, Granger," he said with a smirk and even held up his hand for a high five as he sat down across from Harry. Hermione couldn't help but smile and smack his hand half-heartedly.

"Don't get any ideas," Harry told him sarcastically.

"You don't have to worry, love, I won't ever want to break up with you," Draco said, with a genuineness that still surprised Hermione. Harry smiled and grabbed his hand across the table. Usually, Hermione loved how cute they were, but right now, it made her want to gag. She grabbed an apple and stood abruptly, muttering something about going for a walk. She rushed out of the great hall, determined that she wouldn't let anyone or anything- save the trees and rocks outside the castle- see her cry.

Hermione paced back and forth near the lake, pondering her tears. She shouldn't have been upset at the end of a relationship that had been failing since it started. No, she was mostly relieved that Ron had given her a reason to break up with him; she wouldn't have had the courage to do it otherwise. So, if the break up wasn't what was bothering her, it could only be one other thing: Ron's words echoed in her mind, until they morphed into a similar sentence said in the higher-pitched voice of a child.

" _It's LeviosA not LeviOsa…" memory Ron said in an annoying imitation of her voice, "She's a nightmare, she is. It's no wonder she hasn't got any friends." An eleven-year-old Hermione pushed past him, tears forming in her eyes._

 _Now, Hermione was thirteen, clinging to her beloved Crookshanks as Ron berated her about how evil the thing was, not bothering to pay attention to the fact that "the bloody evil beast" sometimes felt like her only friend._

 _It was later that same year, and now Ron was yelling at her for turning Harry's new broom in to Professor McGonagall. Hermione tried to tell him that she was just concerned about Harry's safety, and besides, what business was it of his? It was Harry's broom, and he wasn't yelling at her. But, none of that stopped Ron from not speaking to her for a week._

 _Now, Hermione was fourteen, and Ron was teasing her mercilessly about S.P.E.W. Of course, it was silly, but he never made for Harry for anything he was passionate about, did he? And why, after a year of treating her so rudely did he expect her to drop her plans and go to the Yule Ball with him? And why was he in such disbelief that she could get a date?_

 _Now, Hermione was sixteen, and she was desperately researching the Halfblood Prince, begging Harry to believe her that his potions book was dangerous. This time, Ron say anything overtly offensive, but how could he have such a hard time believing that a girl was clever enough to invent those spells when his best friend was commonly called "the brightest witch of her age?"_

 _Finally, Hermione was seventeen and under more physical, emotional, and mental stress than she had ever been in her life. Yes, destroying Voldemort was officially Harry's task, but hunting for horcruxes took its toll on all three of them. She listened to all of Ron's rude remarks without comment, felt her heart break at his infuriated exit, and welcomed him back, forgave him, just as he expected. Just as she always did._

 _Well, not this time,_ Hermione thought, leaning on a tree for support. Ron had his sweet moments, there was no denying that, but that didn't change the little ways he had torn her down over the years. He may not have come with Slytherin tie, self-important air, and thugs trailing him everywhere, but there was no denying it: Ron was a bully.

Hermione allowed herself to shed one last tear at her revelation, then glanced at her watch and gathered her books. She had a long day of classes ahead of her, not to mention her potions internship with Snape tonight after dinner. She pulled herself together, determined to go on about her business as usual. Hermione Granger was not one to wallow in her problems, that was for damn sure.


	2. The Weekend

_Note: Thanks so much to the couple of people who left reviews, as well as those of you who followed and favorited the story! I know it seems silly, but it really does make me feel much better about posting stuff on here. Let me know if I can do anything to improve; constructive criticism is so helpful. Hope you all like this chapter!_

"Ohthankgodyou'rehere!" Hermione exclaimed, gasping for air after sprinting up the stairs to the girls' dormitory. Ginny raised an eyebrow.

"Everything okay?"

"I need to talk to you," Hermione explained, sitting down on her bed and desperately trying to catch her breath. Ginny made a "keep talking" gesture, and Hermione complied, "Okay, I know that I just broke up with your brother in front of the whole school this morning, so you probably don't really want to hear about my problems-" Ginny held up a hand, cutting her off.

"Don't worry about that, Hermione. As much as I would love for you to fall in love with and marry my brother, anyone with eyes could see that it wasn't working, and I want you both to be happy. We'll be sisters, regardless of whether we're actually sisters-in-law, and you know that. I can't even be mad at you for hexing him; it was just so badass!" she said with a chuckle, "So what's going on, exactly? You can't be having more boy problems already!" Hermione smiled gratefully at Ginny's words. Thank God her friend understood; she didn't know what she would have done otherwise.

"Well, not so much problems as confusion… And not so much boy as…" Hermione trailed off, then abruptly interrupted herself, "What would you say if I told you I thought Professor Snape was flirting with me?"

"Bloody hell!" Ginny exclaimed immediately, her eyebrows disappearing into her ginger hair.

"That's what I thought," Hermione groaned, "Maybe I'm just reading way too much into things, though...I don't know."

"Well are you going to give me details so we can overanalyze everything decide if he was flirting or not, or are you just going to leave me hanging?" Ginny asked with a smirk. Hermione took a deep breath before launching into her story.

"Right, well, everything was going completely normally," she started, "And as I was packing up, Snape said, 'You put on quite the show this morning, Miss Granger. I must admit it was very entertaining to watch you hex Mr. Weasley into the Ravenclaws' breakfast,' just like that, completely conversational. And, I didn't know what to say… I thought he was going to take points away, or something, so I just told him that I overheard Ron saying some unsavory things about me and that I shouldn't have lost my cool like that…"

"And then what did he say?" Ginny prompted, when Hermione trailed off.

"He said, 'I am not scolding you Miss Granger, you don't need to justify your actions to me,'" Hermione said, in her best impression of Snape's voice, "So, I asked him why he brought it up, and that's when it got a little weird…"

"Snape asking you about your boy problems wasn't where it got weird?" Ginny asked, grimacing.

"Well, weirder," Hermione conceded, "He mentioned how I punched Draco third year, and then he was just right behind me, all of a sudden. I didn't even hear him move or see him get up, I swear, it was the strangest thing. And then he leaned down and whispered in my ear, in that smooth, cool, completely unnerving voice of his, 'I just find it very intriguing that the rational, intelligent, calm and collected Miss Granger can lose her cool so easily. Yes, very intriguing indeed.'" Ginny's jaw dropped in shock. Snape offering Hermione such compliments as "rational," "clever," and "calm and collected" surely meant the world was ending; him whispering in her ear in a smooth, creepy voice about how intriguing she was? That was unfathomable.

"Well, damn," she said finally, "What did you do?"

"I said, 'oh,' and bolted up here as fast as I could!" Hermione exclaimed, "What else was I supposed to do?" Ginny just shrugged.

"So… What do you think it means?" Hermione asked after a pause.

"I think it means you're exactly right," Ginny said slowly, "It seems that our dear potions professor, the greasy git, is flirting with you."

"Oh, hell," Hermione groaned, running a hand through her curly hair. What, exactly, was she supposed to do now?

* * *

Hermione, however, had no chance to ponder her Professor's odd behavior over the weekend. She wished it had been because she was spending all of her free time studying, but unfortunately, it had more to do with the fact that Ron was out of the hospital wing and pestering her more than ever.

It started on Saturday evening, when Hermione returned to her dorm from a long study session in the library to find her bed covered in rose petals, with a box of chocolates on her pillow with a note from Ron saying how sorry he was and begging her for another chance. Hermione rolled her eyes and vanished the rose petals with a wave of her wand.

Ginny plead guilty to letting Ron into the room, saying, "I know, I'm sorry, Hermione, but he is my brother. I couldn't very well tell him he couldn't come up here." Hermione told her that she understood but that if she let something like this again, she would ask McGonagall for a room change. Ginny looked upset for a moment, but Hermione tossed her the chocolates, and she knew she was forgiven.

* * *

Hermione decided to study in the common room on Sunday morning, mostly in order to keep an eye on the entrance to her dorm. She realized what a bad idea this was when Ron started groveling immediately upon entering the common room, literally getting down on his knees to beg.

"Please just stop, Ron," she said as gently as possible, "I don't want to get back together." Ron nodded and left, and Hermione hoped that would be the end of that.

Ginny invited her to have a picnic in the greenhouses with Luna for lunch, and she agreed, thinking that it would be a welcome distraction. She realized how wrong she was when Ron showed up, dragging Harry and Draco by their wrists.

"I heard you were having a picnic," he said cheerfully, "And I thought we could all spend some quality friend time together. I even brought these two!" He gestured to Harry and Draco, who definitely didn't want to be there. Harry scratched the back of his neck uncomfortably, and Draco looked downright murderous. Hermione suspected his boyfriend's presence was the only thing stopping him from forcefully removing Ron's hand from his arm.

"That sounds lovely," Luna said obliviously, and Hermione shot Ginny a pained look. The meal passed in awkward silence, punctuated only by Ron's chewing and Harry's half-hearted attempts at conversation. As soon as she had finished eating, Hermione bolted off to her room and didn't even come out for dinner.


	3. The Next Weeks

_Wow, it's been a while since I've added to this, hasn't it? I have the whole story fleshed out in my head and I would like to finish it eventually, but things have gotten a little crazy with school and whatnot. This part is a little bit transitional, so I hope it isn't too boring. If you can find it in your heart to give me a review, even like, two words, I would very much appreciate it :)_

Although classes kept Ron at bay a bit, Monday wasn't any better. He waited for Hermione after all of her classes, usually with a bouquet of flowers, and followed her around in the corridors, begging for a second chance. _The only thing he's getting a second time is that stinging hex,_ Hermione thought bitterly. Her internship didn't go well either. She arrived in the potions lab flustered from her narrow escape as Ron proclaimed his love for her at dinner, and that, coupled with her anxiety surrounding Snape's strange behavior the previous Friday, had turned her into a nervous wreck. At least Snape seemed to have gone back to normal; he berated her mercilessly every time her shaking hands dropped an ingredient or chopped one up unevenly.

"Do you even want to be here, Miss Granger?" Snape sneered while Hermione packed

up, "It seems your mind is elsewhere."

"Yes, sir," she responded quickly, "I'm so sorry, sir. I just have a lot going on right now."

"Well, you ought to put whatever it is out of your mind when you come here. Distractions do not bode well for the precise art of potion making," he said darkly. Hermione apologized again and hurried out of the foreboding room, running face first into a ginger-haired wall.

Ron was smiling broadly and holding a bouquet of roses, which he tried to force into her hands. She had had such a rough day already that she couldn't even think of something to say, so she just dropped the flowers on the floor and bolted back to the tower.

* * *

Tuesday at lunch time, Professor Snape found his student and intern perched atop an overturned bucket in his potions storeroom, studying for a transfiguration quiz. When she saw the dark outline that was unmistakably her professor, Hermione toppled off of the bucket into a pile of cauldrons. He sneered at her.

"Miss Granger, when I gave you a key to this room I assumed you would use it to collect potions ingredients, not as a personal study room," he quipped.

"S-sorry, sir," she stammered, afraid he would berate her like he had the previous evening, "It's the only place Ron won't find me, and I desperately need to study without him distracting me. Even when I lock myself in my room, he just waits outside and slips stupid little notes under the door, the git!" Her nervousness had turned to exasperation by the time she was finished, and then she realized who she was talking to and added a quiet, "It won't happen again, sir." He stared at her, expression unreadable, then offered a hand to help her up. He led her a short way down the hall, stopping when they were in his office. He gestured at an extra desk, much smaller than his own, but still much better than an overturned bucket.

"You may study here, if there is really nowhere else," he said smoothly, "I should hope it is at least more comfortable than a store room, and it has the bonus of Weasley thinking I will cut him up into little pieces and put him into a nasty potion if he comes here without permission."

"Would you, professor?" Hermione laughed, already settling in to the small desk.

"I will admit that the thought has crossed my mind," he said, sitting down at his own desk and pulling out some papers to grade. Hermione stared in disbelief for a second before returning to her work. She had thought for a moment- but no, it _couldn't_ be- that Professor Snape had genuinely smiled.

* * *

The week passed painfully slowly, but Hermione spent most of it studying in Professor Snape's office. He always rolled his eyes or scoffed when she showed up, books in hand, but there was much less venom in it than there used to be, so she took that as a sign that the grouchy professor didn't really mind. In fact, he had- inadvertently, she was sure- become something of a bodyguard for her.

On Thursday, Hermione peeked out the door before leaving her potions internship, and groaned; Ron was standing outside with what looked like a large sign and a lot of glitter. Professor Snape appeared behind her and pushed her gently away from the door, before stepping outside.

"Weasley!" he barked, "What business do you have, lurking around down here?"

"I...uh...I was waiting for Hermione," Ron responded, trembling.

"Your little know-it-all girlfriend will be here until well after curfew, helping me bottle Pepper-Up Potions for Madame Pomfrey. Get lost." He slammed the door in the redhead's astonished face.

"Thank you," Hermione breathed, and she spent the rest of the evening reading in his office.

* * *

That weekend, Snape rescued Hermione after finding Ron chasing her through the corridors with a gaudy looking necklace. He grabbed her arm and insisted that she accompany him to the greenhouse to learn how to properly harvest bubotuber pus for use in a salve for burns. Hermione also saw him glare at McGonagall for suggesting that the whole situation reminded her of James and Lily Potter, back in the day. Outraged, Snape stalked away, muttering something about how the only similarity was two bright girls who were pursued by men vastly undeserving of them and how one could only hope that this one was smart enough not to give in to his advances.

 _Merlin_ , Hermione thought after witnessing the scene, _I always knew he didn't like Ron, but… When did he become so protective of me?_

* * *

Snape's- dare she even think it- chivalrous behavior was without a doubt bizarre and a little unnerving, but the eyebrow-raising cherry on top of the sundae of weirdness came the next Wednesday evening. Having finished all of her homework for the rest of the week, Hermione was sitting with her feet propped up on what had become her desk in Snape's office, reading a novel. Snape was bent over his own desk, and from the sound of his grumbling about the "insolent buffoons," he was grading essays.

Hermione shifted uncomfortably, opting to sit criss-cross-applesauce in her chair and prop her elbows on the desk. Snape rolled his eyes, marked a large red "T" at the top of the paper he was reading, and leaned back in his chair.

"Miss Granger, I was under the impression that I allowed you a place in my office to study, not to read Muggle literature," he sneered, reaching over and tugging _The Great Gatsby_ out of her hands, "Or has Mr. Weasley become such a nuisance that you cannot even enjoy your leisure time in the privacy of your own room?"

"I...Well...You see, sir," Hermione started awkwardly, then she sighed. "To be perfectly honest, yes he has. I only go up to the Tower after I know he's gone to sleep, and I always make sure to leave before he wakes up, or else he finds some way to annoy the living daylights out of me. I would normally read or go for a walk outside, but it's beginning to get a little too chilly for that."

The way he looked at her with his cold, inky eyes, Hermione was sure that he was going

to reprimand her and revoke her study space in his office, but to her surprise he merely sighed and said, "Very well, follow me."

Professor Snape led Hermione through a door at the back of his office, into a comfy looking sitting room that she realized must be his private quarters. He pointed his wand at the fireplace and a merrily crackling fire materialized. He gestured for her to sit on the overstuffed leather sofa in front of the fireplace, and she did.

"Firewhiskey, Miss Granger?" he asked, offering her a glass.

"I...uh...Is that allowed, Professor?" she wondered, looking surprised.

"You are of age, are you not?"

"I suppose so," she relented, accepting the glass and settling in with her book, as Snape plucked a book off of the end table and did the same.

* * *

The next thing Hermione knew, Professor Snape was awakening her, and informing her that she needed to return to her dormitory at once. She glanced at her watch. 2:00am?! She quickly thanked her professor for his hospitality and bolted.

She dashed up the stairs and across the castle, whispered the password to the Fat Lady, and crept up the stairs to her room, miraculously, all without getting caught. However, her stealth failed her as she entered her shared room and immediately tripped over _Hogwarts: a History_ and an errant shoe.

"Ouch, dammit!" she swore, barely avoiding faceplanting. She knew she had awoken her roommate when she heard a whispered " _Lumos!"_ and the room was flooded with light.

"This had better be a really juicy story, Granger," Ginny said slyly.

"Oh, it is," she laughed, sitting down on her bed. Ginny made a _keep talking_ gesture. "I fell asleep on Professor Snape's couch after having a Firewhiskey with him."

"Bloody hell," Ginny whispered.


End file.
